4th of July: American Symbols

In honor of Independence Day I bring you a fun way to study or learn some of the American Symbols!

Also, I'll be on a road trip to Tennessee so I won't be back bloggin' until at least Wednesday. Enjoy your Holiday!

American Symbols

Linky Party: Transistions

With my older students, I find that I can keep them on task better when they see how much time they have left.  They seem to work harder on math if they keep looking up to see how much time they have left.  When they finish early, it helps them pick an activity to keep them busy that will fill the required time frame, instead of picking something that takes too long or is going to be too quick.  When the time is up they know that it is time to transition to the next thing, and little time gets wasted.

I like to post the timer large, and I like to have a little fun with it so along comes the online stopwatch! (Which works great on the interactive white boards...)  They like to pick which one we use (the clock is my favorite, and of course the bomb one is their favorite)!

Check it out:

Online Time Keepers

Smart Board Lessons Linky Party: Kerpoof

First, I'm going to say, for an almost daily supply of smart board resources I think you should look to the left of your screen and follow my blog :)  I just started it, and I'm going to do my best to keep you updated with the latest and greatest resources.....

Next, I'm going to introduce you to Kerpoof, which is seriously the coolest thing EVER!  For primary grades there is an activity where you can spell a picture, you spell a word and the picture pops up.  For upper grades my favorite is the story maker.  There are endless backgrounds, people, even little props you can add!  I can not wait to use this for one of my creative writing this year.

Below is one of my pages (kinda lame, but I did it super quick.)  I dragged the background on there, the troll, and the treasure chest.  All can be resized.  Like I said, it's the coolest thing EVER :)    You can save your story or print it off.

Kerpoof 

Math Monday Blog Hop!

Hello! Below is a super fun web site to supplement any ruler lesson plan.  My kids LOVED it!  During indoor recess this is the game they requested to have on the promethean board, which I was more than happy to do for them!  You can change the level of difficulty by switching what parts of the ruler you're working with. For primary grades you can have it be just whole inches or half inches, or for intermediate grades you can put it on sixteenth inches which are always super tricky to point out on rulers.

The Ruler Game

Virtual Manipulatives

I could scour the web and find thousands of awesome ways to use manipulatives in my classroom.  Using them makes math really hit home.  So what do you do when you don't have a certain manipulative, but you know if you could just put your hands on more geo boards or base ten blocks you'd have a more successful lesson.  Along comes the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives by the Utah State University.   I think that hands-on is of course better, but it never hurts to have some virtual manipulatives bookmarked---especially if your school is short on money for extra supplies.  

National Library of Virtual Manipulatives 

Forest Layers

I was looking for ideas to reinforce our study of Ecosystems (consumers, producers, decomposers), food chains, etc.  I stumbled upon this super cool website where students get to search the forest layers and look for what inhabits each layer.  I think you could use this for so many things!  How could you incorporate it into your classroom?  I'm always game for new ideas! Check it out and then share your ideas below!

Forest Layers

Solving Equations

The Common Core Standards---did anyone read through math and start to have a mini panic attack?  (Okay, an almost major panic attack?!?)  I think they are a fantastic idea, don't get me wrong, but the 5th grade standards are WAY challenging.  They really stress algebra in 5th grade so I've been on the look out for some interactive ways to practice.  How is everyone else dealing with the incorporation of the new standards?  Are they similar to what your state already has or way different like in ND?

Here's what I found---

Addition with Missing Numbers 

I like that it gives the students spots for the missing number instead of throwing an x or a y right away.  I think this would be a great starter activity...   

did you see the Bear?

Anyone else struggle with capitalization in their classroom?  When my patience is stressed here is what our writer's workshop times sounds like:

Ms. B:  What does every sentence start with?

Student:  A capital letter.

Ms. B:  Right.  How about names?

Student:  A capital letter.

Two sentence later.....

Ms. B:  What does every sentence start with?

Student:  A capital letter.

Ms. B: (pulling on hair a bit by now...)  Can you please find your seat and capitalize all the words you know should be capitalized, then come back.

What is it about capitals?!? I'm sure my Grandma would say it's from texting...is it?  I am pretty strict when it comes to capitals.  They lose one point for every missing one on any assignment, in any subject (they are 5th grade---I figure I have to do something!)  So why can they STILL not capitalize things?

Anyway---I'll get off my soapbox and show you this fun little white board activity.  I put in on and students can do it when they finish work early.  It'll have to sink in eventually, right?  Right?!?

Magic Capitals from Sheppard Software 

Human Body Maps

This website is intended to find solutions based on symptoms; however, they have a fantastic 3-D body map resource!  Students can move the mouse (or pen) over parts of the body, move them and see 3-D views, click on them to see cross-sections and find out a little bit about them!

For example when I clicked on the stomach I saw the 3-D look, a look inside, and it told me this: The stomach is a muscular sac-like organ in the digestive system that stores and digests food via gastric juices and a specialized churning action. 


How perfect is this for the study of the different human body systems?!?  

Check it out at:   Heath Line 

Fruit Shoot

Okay, this one is addicting!  I am thinking they should come out with an app for my phone....

Introducing:

Fruit Shoot Math!  

You can practice any basic skills (adding, subtracting, multiplication, and division).  This works great for individual student practice, small group, or whole group.  I split my students into two groups and they had to try to beat the other teams scores.  I find that if they are in a line it makes it easier to pass the pen back and forth to each other.  They loved it!

I'm also linking this up to a math stations linking party.  When I do math stations in my classroom I always have one station at the promethean board.  This keeps their attention every time.

Ideas Wanted!

As a teacher, I find it hard to find ideas that relate to current lesson plans and standards.  Once I find a great website, I tend to forget what the website was the next year when that lesson comes back around. On this blog I'll take ideas, find ideas, and then label them according to subject so that we can all work smarter, not harder.  :)  

Please leave website ideas in the comment section at any time!